Mom charged after 4-year-old brings canister of marijuana to school

A school social worker found a canister of marijuana that a 4-year-old child had taken out of her backpack at a Canton school, leading to child neglect charges against her mother.

According to a police report, the 35-year-old Westland mother had placed her medical marijuana and a bathing suit in her daughter's backpack when she was going to spend two nights at a hotel — and apparently forgot about it.

The social worker saw the canister after the girl, a preschool Head Start student, took it out of her backpack Feb. 6 at Walker-Winter Elementary School, on Michigan Avenue in Canton.

The situation was reported to the school principal, who contacted Canton police.

Canton Deputy Police Director Chad Baugh said the incident should serve as a warning to parents to keep all medications safely away from children.

"I would ask parents to consider any kind of medicine as potentially lethal or troublesome for children if they come into contact with it," Baugh said. "We have to keep our medicines away from our children."

The social worker had gone to the preschool room to help with children's nap time when she noticed the canister. School officials already had become concerned that the girl was missing half of her Head Start classes.

The child initially told the principal that she found the canister in her room at home and put it in her backpack, the police report said.

Police found 10.8 grams of marijuana in the canister.

During an investigation, the mother told police she had recently been staying in Allen Park with her husband and several other relatives. She told police she had planned a two-night getaway at a hotel and used her daughter's backpack for her belongings.

The marijuana was still in the backpack when the girl was taken to school.

The incident resulted in the mother facing a charge of child neglect.

Even though the mother apparently left the marijuana in the child's backpack by mistake, Baugh said it's no excuse.

"It's important for all of us to remember that sometimes we have to slow down in life and think about safety," he said.

Contact Darrell Clem at dclem@hometownlife.com. Follow him on Twitter: @CantonObserver.